The present invention is directed to conveying chains and more particularly to the links for produce digging conveying chains employed for digging and harvesting of potatoes or the like. Conventional digger chains of the type mentioned are constructed of a plurality of interconnecting links designed to dig and carry the harvested potato or the like and allow any earth thereon to be vibrated from the potato or the like as it transverses the length of the conveyor. The conveyor chains designed to accomplish this task comprise a plurality of individual links which number one hundred and twenty or more. Two or more such conveyor chains are generally used on a potato harvester. These links are made from steel or the like and have an individual weight of around two pounds or more with a chain weight of about two hundred sixty pounds.
As these chains revolve with one end in the earth adjacent to the potatoes being harvested the joinder of the links encounter earth including sand and small rocks and the like. This earth material acts abrasively on the links reducing their normally expected life. Depending on the sand and rock content of a given field of potatoes being harvested, such a conveying chain can have a life of less then one season and must be replaced either link by link as breakage occurs or the entire chain is replaced periodically to prevent harvesting down time for chain replacement which can take many man hours of labor. The economic cost of the chains amounts to several hundred dollars in material and labor for replacement.
A conveyor chain of the type described that would have an extended life and be lighter in weight would find great acceptance in the digging conveyor art.